Some 47 street lights in Waimea will be converted from low-pressure sodium lamps, or LPS, to light-emitting diode lamps, or LED, beginning today, according to the Hawaii County Department of Public Works.
Work is anticipated to wrap up Sunday, but may continue until Tuesday. Alternating lane closures will be in effect from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mamalahoa Highway, between Lindsey Road and Kinohou Street, while crews install the lamps, according to the department.
According to the department, the new lamps will emit a more uniform light with less glare. The department’s current sodium lamps, used to illuminate county roads at night, burn with an orange tint while the LED lamps will emit a subtle green tint that is less reflective on wet roads.
The lamps will also be shielded to mitigate any impact on stargazing atop Mauna Kea, according to the department.
Waimea is the first large-scale installation following a demonstration project on Wailoa Bridge, according to the department. In all, 1,000 lamps have been ordered using $500,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds.
The department is expected to install all the lamps within a year, but has not identified the next area for conversion to the new lights.